Hatchineha eatery lease approved

BARTOW - The Port Steak & Seafood Restaurant should be open at Port Hatchineha Park sometime next month.

By TOM PALMERLedger Media Group

BARTOW - The Port Steak & Seafood Restaurant should be open at Port Hatchineha Park sometime next month.

Jim Martin, operator of the restaurant and store, made the announcement following Tuesday's unanimous vote by county commissioners to approve a $1,500-a-month lease with Osprey Eco Tours. The lease involves the operation of the restaurant, a store and bait shop and boat rentals.

There is no other store in the area. In addition to serving Hatchineha Estates, the restaurant is also convenient to residents in the southern section of Poinciana.

"We plan to carry everything they need," Martin said, referring to area residents. "If they want something, we'll try to get it."

Mark Jackson, Polk's director of tourism and sports marketing, said the restaurant will be helpful to the effort to promote ecotourism.

"It will be a real asset to allow people to appreciate Polk's natural assets," he said.

The County Commission purchased the property for $1.3 million in 2009 to re-establish public access to Lake Hatchineha.

The ramp, which had been privately owned, had been closed for some time before the purchase. The restaurant, which operated under a variety of owners for decades, had also been closed.

Commissioners had directed county staffers to see whether they could find someone who would present a business plan to reopen the restaurant and store to generate some income.

The alternative would have been to demolish the building or to use it as a rental for private parties.

In addition to restricting airboats, the lease also bans operating a bar or lounge on the property, having loud music, interfering with the public's use of the park and restricts the hours of deliveries.

Proceeds from the lease payment will return to the county parks fund.

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